


Call my name

by strikedawn



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, set after highspeed and after DF, tfw you get a boyfriend AND a baby brother (child) on the first day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 06:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20738072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikedawn/pseuds/strikedawn
Summary: “Ikuya! What are you doing here?”The smirk that had been on Ikuya’s mouth banished. He looked almost sad as he looked to the side, gloved hands coming up so he could blow some hot air on them, but also hide his face. Natsuya might not have been the best at dealing with Ikuya, but he knew him at least a little bit.Something had happened, he was sure of it.The protectiveness slammed into Natsuya at the speed of a moving train as he took Nao’s silent hand and pushed himself to his feet.-In which Natsuya and Nao go on dates and Ikuya is there.





	Call my name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Owlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlily/gifts).

> This is a request from Owlily--thank you so much!! Fran requested married natsunao + some kirishima bros bonding time, all of which is always a pleasure to write <3
> 
> Hope you guys like it!

The clock of the station ticked incessantly, no matter how much Natsuya begged it to stop.

5:15 pm.

It was getting harder and harder to pretend he hadn’t been stood up.

Natsuya sighed, and a soft cloud of white smoke made it past his lips. He wished he had charged his phone overnight. He still wasn’t used to carrying it around (who needed portable phones when all the people you talk to lived less than twenty minutes away?), but he guessed that just today, it would have been convenient to have his phone at hand.

Something could have happened to Nao, after all. Natsuya’s dead phone could be holding dozens of messages from Nao apologizing for not showing up to their “_date?”_ (question mark included, yes), or even a few calls. Maybe one of them would even have a reason why— none would say anything like changing his mind about dating Natsuya, of course, but they’d all be things that Nao had no control over. Maybe a sudden storm had spared all of Iwatobi except Nao’s neighborhood; or maybe the family dog had eaten the chocolates Natsuya had sent Nao’s mom for Valentine’s day. Maybe Nao had fallen sick and didn’t have the energy to pick up his phone.

All of them would be good reasons for being stood up.

But as Natsuya lowered his head and racked his fingers through his hair, he knew—Nao had probably changed his mind about the whole “_date?” _ thing.

A long groan escaped from Natsuya’s lips as he kicked the cold ground with the heel of his boot. “Why am I so—!”

“Natsuya!”

Natsuya sprung up like a cartoon character, hands falling to his sides as his eyes quickly found Nao little ways down the road. He was running towards Natsuya; scarf floating in the wind, shoulder-length hair framing his colored cheeks, mouth open slightly as Nao fought to breathe and run at the same time. Nao had always been fast in the water, but never on land.

Natsuya’s heart stuttered at the sight of the usually composed Nao running towards him. The romantic in him insisted to open his arms wide as Nao got closer, to let him crash against his chest.

But Nao was there already before Natsuya could make up his mind, and his apologetic smile was so lovely that Natsuya forgot what he was even thinking about in the first place.

“I’m sorry—“ Nao wheezed, using the ends of his fluffy scarf to muffle his ragged breathing. His shoulders shook and his hair was a mess, but Natsuya couldn’t look away from the rosy color of his cheeks, the way it deepened when Nao smiled at him again and tilted his head to the side. “I lost track of time while doing my chores— were you waiting for long?”

_He’s here,_ Natsuya was thinking in circles, barely hearing what Nao had just said. _ He didn’t stand me up—he came. We’re going on a date. Oh god, we’re going on a date, we’re— _

“…Natsuya?”

“Yes!” Natsuya exclaimed, but when he saw Nao’s worried frown push away his smile he backtracked, fumbling to find the answer. Wasn’t there a line he was supposed to say? The line everyone said in movies and dramas? “I mean—no, I wasn’t waiting for you—I MEAN, I was…I— I didn’t wait for long.”

God, this was going to be a disaster. They shouldn’t have tried this. They had always been great as friends, _perfect_ even. Nao was the support Natsuya needed and vice-versa, two good halves that made an incredible unit.

Why did they think it would be good to try and change that—?

Something very warm wrapped itself around Natsuya’s hand, and Natsuya looked up to see Nao smiling encouragingly at him.

He looked beautiful under the soft light of that winter day; Natsuya’s weak heart jumped through another beat.

“I’m glad,” Nao said softly, squeezing Natsuya’s hand in his. “Though it looks like we both forgot our gloves, huh?”

_That_ , Natsuya knew how to fix it. He was the bold half of their relationship, the one who didn’t care about what others might think or say. So he moved his hand until his fingers were firmly slotted between Nao’s and moved their joined hands to his own pocket, so they could both bask in the warmth of his jacket together.

“There! Warmest hands in all of Iwatobi.”

Nao looked at Natsuya with big, blinking eyes, his mouth slightly open in surprise. But then he laughed, head hanging back as his crystalline laughter tumbled sweetly out of his mouth, driving swiftly like an arrow through Natsuya’s heart.

It was such a familiar sound that it made Natsuya smile wide, squeezing Nao’s hand in his pocket once again. “Oi, don’t laugh at me!”

“I’m not, I’m not,” Nao assured him as he calmed down. He did stop laughing, but his smile was easily fixed in place, right on his mouth. Natsuya had half a thought of doing something to that smile before Nao spoke again. “I just… I guess I’ve been worrying about how— _different_ this would feel. I’m very glad it doesn’t feel different at all.”

Natsuya let a long exhale out through his nose, smiling as his lungs emptied. So Nao had been thinking the same way Natsuya did—but then again, it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. They had always understood each other, even when there was no need for words.

It was no wonder they would feel the same about this.

“When you say ‘this’—“ Natsuya started, cheeky as only he could be. “Do you mean our date?”

Nao wasn't one to fall behind so easily; he smirked back, one eyebrow raised to give Natsuya his best unimpressed look. “I don’t know. Is this a date, after all?”

“So what if it is!” Natsuya exclaimed. Nao was there, and he was smiling, and Natsuya hadn’t been stood up. He didn’t care about anything else. He could breathe far more easily now. “Let’s just have some fun, okay?”

Relaxing as well, Nao nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

“Mm… Mitsuki said there’s a new food vendor up at the temple that has _the best_ pork buns ever! Why don’t we check it out?”

And it was as simple as that. Nao nodded, Natsuya gave the first step forward, and just like that their first date started.

Their hands stayed together in Natsuya’s pocket even as they walked. Neither of them did anything to let them go.

“Ah… this is so slippery,” Nao muttered as they made their way uphill a little bit later, towards the temple. He had his eyes set on his feet as they walked, clinging to Natsuya’s hand with a bit more force than necessary.

Natsuya wasn’t doing much better. The fact that he couldn’t stop grinning at Nao didn’t help things, either. “At least our way down will be faster!”

“Our way to the _hospital_ will be faster if you— Natsuya!”

Of course, it was Natsuya the one to slip first. His foot slid away from beneath himself between one cheeky smile and the next, but it was only Nao’s scarily fast reflexes what prevented Natsuya from getting too acquainted with the frozen pavement of the street. With strong arms, Nao grabbed Natsuya around the middle and pulled him close, shaking a bit under the added weight but otherwise supporting himself and Natsuya just fine.

The moment Natsuya found his footing again, he tightened his grip on Nao, just because he could. “That was close!”

“Mm… Are you okay?”

Natsuya looked down, heart skipping a beat as he realized just how tightly they were holding on to each other, right in the middle of the street. This close, Natsuya could smell the citrusy scent that always clung to Nao’s hair, feel the warmth of his breath. With the way Nao’s lips were parted, the way the winter lights flickered on Nao’s green eyes, it was impossible to think that Natsuya could find anything else to center his attention on.

Nao was always beautiful, but it was at the most random times that Natsuya was hit with the force of his beauty.

Was it too soon to kiss him? Did he have to wait until the end of the date like in those American movies, or was he allowed to tilt his head down and press his lips to Nao’s? He didn’t need a walk home and the shadows of the night to push him to do it, after all— he just wanted to feel Nao close, and try something new with him.

At the end of the day, he just wanted Nao.

And maybe, from the way Nao was still keeping him close, strong arms tightly wrapped around Natsuya’s middle—Nao wanted him too.

“Natsuya?”

“Ah—um?”

“I asked if you’re okay.”

Was he okay? God, no. Natsuya’s heart was racing, his knees felt weak. He felt like he could win alone a medley relay and drop dead on his next exhale.

He wasn’t okay.

So he said. “I’ve never been better.”

And moved to close the space between their lips.

“…Aniki?”

Natsuya sprung away from Nao as if shocked; his feet slid on the frozen pavement a second time, but there was no salvation now. He fell hard on his butt, pain shooting up as a frozen Nao looked from him to a point uphill, eyes wide and mouth still slightly parted.

Honestly, couldn’t something go right for once—?

“Oh my god, you’re so lame.”

It was only then that Natsuya recognized the voice of Ikuya, the faint sneer on his tone making Natsuya’s head snap up. And of course, there he was, Natsuya’s baby brother in all of his bundled-up glory, from the oversized scarf Natsuya had been trying to find since Christmas to the hand-me-down parka that seemed to engulf him.

Natsuya was very aware that his brother had called him ‘lame’, but still he couldn’t stop the pang of protectiveness that shook his heart the moment his eyes fell on his baby brother’s small form. “Ikuya! What are you doing here?”

The smirk that had been on Ikuya’s mouth banished. He looked almost sad as he looked to the side, gloved hands coming up so he could blow some hot air on them, but also hide his face. Natsuya might not have been the best at dealing with Ikuya, but he knew him at least a little bit.

Something had happened, he was sure of it.

The protectiveness slammed into Natsuya at the speed of a moving train as he took Nao’s silent hand and pushed himself to his feet.

“And what are _you_ doing here?” Ikuya fired back, narrowing his eyes at Natsuya before looking away. “Aside from looking like an idiot in front of Nao-senpai, I mean.”

“Oi! I don’t—!”

“We were going to get pork buns,” Nao explained softly, his vice-captain smile already in place as he started to walk towards Ikuya and leave Natsuya behind. Natsuya could do nothing but watch as Ikuya relaxed the closer Nao got to him—the trust that Ikuya had on Nao was a new one (it definitely hadn’t be there during Natsuya’s first two years of middle school), but there was no doubt Ikuya’s attitude towards Nao had changed after joining the swim club.

It was probably because of that that Ikuya spoke again, instead of cowering even deeper in his usual mask of indifference. “Pork buns?”

“Yeah. Natsuya says this temple has the best in town,” Nao looked back at him at that, as if expecting Natsuya to chime in— but even before Natsuya could think of what to say, Nao turned forward again. “Do you want to come with us?”

Natsuya blinked. Then, he exclaimed: “What!?”

Just as Ikuya muttered: “…can I really?”

But Natsuya’s scream caught the attention of the other two, who turned to look at him. The moment their eyes met, Ikuya closed off again, looking to the side to hide himself on his —Natsuya’s — scarf.

The relationship between the brothers might have been better since the summer too, but that didn’t mean Ikuya sometimes didn’t expect Natsuya to push him aside.

It hurt; the only thing Natsuya had ever wanted to do was make Ikuya happy.

“Of course,” Nao stepped in, easy as ever. “Besides, it’s Natsuya’s treat.”

“I—wait, since when is it my treat?”

Nao shrugged. “Since you owe me for saving your life back there. Why did you think I did it, if not for compensation?”

“I thought you did it because you like me!”

“Oh, I like you,” Nao replied, and his smile was luminous like the star at the top of a Christmas tree, even if his cheeks were colored a deep red. “But I also like pork buns.”

Next to them, Ikuya was watching them like one would watch a tennis match. “Are you sure I won’t be interrupting…?

Natsuya almost expected Nao to be the one to reply once again, but when Nao simply lifted an eyebrow at him, Natsuya knew it was his turn. Smiling with all the warmth he felt for his brother, Natsuya reached out and messed Ikuya’s frosty hair with his fingers, insisting on doing it even when Ikuya started to protest. “Of course you can, Ikuya, don’t be silly.”

“_You’re_ silly,” Ikuya snapped back, but there was no venom in his voice. If anything, he sounded content. “…I think I know which vendor has the pork buns, actually.”

“Really?” Nao smiled again, moving so he was standing by Natsuya’s side now. “Then lead the way, please.”

Happy to oblige, Ikuya turned around and started walking uphill, not even checking if the other two were following. Which they did—after a beat, where Natsuya turned to look at Nao with marveled eyes and a nervous smile on his lips.

“Are you really okay with this?” Natsuya asked in a whisper, tilting his head so he was almost speaking against Nao’s temple.

“Of course,” was Nao’s easy reply. Natsuya felt a cold hand sneak around his own and Natsuya took it gratefully, giving it a soft squeeze. “Ikuya looked sad, didn’t he?”

“Yeah…” Natsuya looked up. His brother seemed lighter now, the line of his shoulders far less tense, but Natsuya couldn’t forget how sad, how _lonely,_ his brother had looked just a minute ago. “I wonder what happened.”

“I’m not sure myself… but I think the first years aren’t doing too great, lately.”

Natsuya sighed; he had realized that as well. “Yeah…”

“—Hey, don’t do that,” Nao whispered. The next blink, there was a cool finger smoothing out the frown between Natsuya’s eyebrows. “You know, I invited Ikuya along because I don’t like it when either of you is sad. You brothers have the same look on your face when something worries you.”

Natsuya smiled, feeling warmth spread through his chest. Of course.

He always forgot Nao knew him best.

Using his free hand, Natsuya grabbed Nao’s other hand —the one that hovered over Natsuya’s eyes— and brought Nao’s knuckles to his mouth, kissing them softly. The act belonged to a long list of new things they would have probably tried out today—things that belonged to those who dared to take a friendship to a different level.

With the way Nao blushed at it, Natsuya was glad he had done it. But he didn't resent the fact there would be no more new things that day, not with Ikuya around.

After all, he had just decided, Natsuya had the rest of his life to try new things with Nao.

“Oi, slowpokes! Come on, or the pork buns will run out!”

“We’re going, we’re going!” Natsuya shouted back, not turning to look and see if Ikuya had seen him kiss Nao.

He didn’t care much. He was done hiding himself from his brother.

* * *

The lights of Tokyo were always a welcoming sight.

Natsuya didn’t even care about waiting. The bars and the karaokes around him cast different colors onto the paved streets, pinks and reds and blues, flashing and dancing before Natsuya until he could even see them behind his closed lids. Others found it annoying, but never him; it was home far away from home for him—or was it the other way around? Could he consider Tokyo home when he hadn’t spent more than a few weeks living in it? Could he find solace in the nightly lights, in the noises of the crowd around him, when they never seemed to call his name—?

“Natsuya.”

He could. The crowd might not call for him, not yet, but there would always be someone who would.

“You’re late, Nao.”

Nao looked unapologetic as he shrugged, his smile still in place as he walked the last two steps that separated him from Natsuya. There was no book bag at his side this time, no signs of a long day of classes and practices. Instead, Nao looked smartly dressed as the colors that were so jarring against the streets dyed his skin in funny hues, some of them even reflecting on the lens of his glasses. He smelt of cologne—something citrusy that Natsuya had bought for him in San Francisco— and his hair, tied back at his nape by a thin hair-tie, brushed against his cheeks so sweetly that Natsuya had a thought of pushing it back with his fingers and hook the runaway locks behind his ear.

He wouldn’t, though.

He had a role to play.

“I’m sorry,” Nao said through his smile, again not looking sorry at all. “I lost track of time doing my chores... did you wait for long?”

Natsuya wrinkled his nose at Nao, fighting off a smile of his own. “Yes!” He exclaimed, and waited for Nao to lift his eyebrow - Natsuya’s cue - to add: “I mean—no, I wasn’t waiting, not at all.”

There was a beat, and then both Natsuya and Nao burst out laughing, Natsuya’s arm finding its way around Nao’s shoulders. They clung to each other like that as the people of Tokyo walked around and past them, colorful figures at the edges of their vision.

Like every other time, it was as if the world had stopped turning for just the two of them.

“Are we ever going to let that die?” Natsuya said as he pressed Nao closer. “It’s getting old, you know.”

“You only say that because you’re the one who looks ridiculous,” Nao said matter-of-factly. But then he smiled sweetly, looking up at Natsuya from over the edge of his glasses, and Natsuya was once again forced to recognize that he was hooked.

So hooked.

“But still,” Nao kept on, fingers pressing against Natsuya’s hip. “I hope it doesn’t die. I rather like to start our dates like the first one.”

Natsuya smiled big and warm, pressing his lips against Nao’s temple. “Same.”

“Ugh, can you please stop with the PDA? I saw the hearts flowing from the other end of the street.”

Natsuya jumped, less out of surprise and more out of excitement. Ever since the tournament a few weeks back, Ikuya had been skirting around him like a shy cat, no doubt too ashamed about crying not once but _twice_ during said tournament—and once in front of Natsuya, even.

Natsuya had cried as well, tears that tasted sweet for the first time in years, but what his baby brother didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. Still, Natsuya was glad to see his brother out of the blue in that brightly colored street of Tokyo, and he showed it in his grin as he turned to fully look at Ikuya.

“Ikuya! What are you doing here?”

“Running away from your gross-ness,” Ikuya replied easily, sending a small smile towards Nao as if to soften the blow. Natsuya didn’t receive such a gift, though—he only got the unimpressed stare. “Don’t you have any decency?”

“I’ll kiss my boyfriend wherever I want whenever I want, thank you very much.”

Ikuya rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t Nao-senpai get a say in that?”

Natsuya shrugged. “Nah.”

“... You could do much better than my brother, Nao-senpai.”

“Hey!”

Nao smiled but said nothing. Instead, his fingers tightened around Natsuya enough for him to feel it through the layers of clothing. The pressure made something warm unfurl from Natsuya’s heart and all through his chest.

“Anyway, Ikuya! You should join us for drinks— no alcohol for you, of course, but still you should come!”

“And watch as you get increasingly drunk? No, thanks. Besides,” he added, and Natsuya was both surprised and amazed to see a soft, almost shy smile play at the corners of his brother’s mouth. He hadn’t seen him smile like that in years. “I’m meeting Hiyori for dinner. We’re meeting Haru and the others later, too.”

Natsuya blinked, slightly taken aback. “I thought you were too busy preparing for the tournament to go out at night?”

“There’s a time for everything,” Ikuya replied smartly, and—did he smile at Nao at that moment? Had that been a complicity look between them? Natsuya could do nothing but gape. “Anyway,” Ikuya continued smoothly after a second, as if nothing had happened. “I have to get going. Have a good date and all that.”

“Hey!” Natsuya started—

But Ikuya was already walking away, fading out among the people of Tokyo even as he waved over his shoulder at his brother.

Natsuya stared after him. He had been trying to get his brother to go out for dinner for weeks, but Hiyori and the others managed it on the first try? What was Natsuya doing wrong—?

“You know,” Nao suddenly said right at his side, and Natsuya jumped slightly. It wasn’t that he had forgotten Nao was there, but almost. “You look adorable when you pout, Natsuya.”

Heat crawled up Natsuya’s face to pool at his cheeks. “I-I’m not— _I wasn’t—_“

“You are and you were,” replied Nao with a smile. His arm wasn’t around Natsuya’s middle anymore, but instead his fingers were lightly interweaving themselves through Natsuya’s, the touch soft but warm. Even as he looked away Natsuya clung to that hand, squeezing it. “Don’t worry about Ikuya,” Nao added. “He’s happier than he’s been for a while.”

“... I know that. But why does he keep refusing to meet up with me!?”

“Mm. It hasn’t been that long since the tournament... I don’t think Ikuya has found his footing with everyone just yet. He’s working on it though, I’m sure.”

Natsuya puffed. Without having to say so, both Natsuya and Nao started walking towards their bar for the night, footsteps silent in the noisy street. Their hands were still together right between them, palms flush against each others'. “He doesn’t have to find his footing with me; I’m his big brother.”

“You are,” Nao conceded. “But you also are his rival now, don’t forget that. And out of everything, I think that’s what Ikuya is most proud of. He’ll come around soon enough, you’ll see.”

Natsuya smiled softly, eyes fixed on the pavement below. He hoped so, he really did. “Oi,” he suddenly said, looking at Nao from the corner of his eye. “Have you been talking to my baby brother behind my back?”

“Of course not,” Nao replied, a sufficient smile on his face. “I do it in front of you, you just never notice.”

“Hey!”

Using the hand he was still holding, Natsuya pulled Nao closer, until they were touching from their chest to the tips of their shoes. Natsuya held onto the annoyed stare for a second, and then he let it go to transform into a blinding smile, eyes creasing with the force of it. “Thank you for always taking care of Ikuya, Nao,” he said. Then, he lowered his head so he could deliver his next words against Nao’s mouth. “And thank you for always taking care of me, too.”

Nao smiled up at him softly, but it brought along a blush to his cheeks that set Natsuya’s heart into overdrive. “It’s a pleasure.”

“I hope you’ll let me try to return the favor for the rest of our lives.”

Natsuya knew very well how that sounded, so he didn’t react when Nao inhaled sharply, surprise making his smile freeze for a second. They had never talked about it, never even implied it as forwardly as Natsuya just had, but it had always been _there_. The idea that no matter the distance, no matter the time spent apart— they’d be together to the very end.

And still, Natsuya’s heart gave a relieved beat when Nao finally spoke. There was no light brighter than Nao’s smile, no color sweeter than Nao’s eye color at that moment. “Yes,” he said softly but amused, as if he couldn’t believe Natsuya had to even ask. “Of course, Natsuya.”

Natsuya smiled. The crowds might not be chanting his name yet, but as long as Nao said it like that, it was okay.

It would always be okay.


End file.
